 Today in our show, we are going to be talking about India's quarterfinals and with us to tactically break down and help us understand what the keys to victory are is former captain, coach and Olympic gold medalist Vasudevan Vasudevan. So question, against the Dutch, who will be the key cog for both teams and who basically can they nullify each other? No, for me Manpreet is a very key player for Netherlands because so far I have seen him a different player because though he is in the name, when the starting level starts, he finds his name in the back four. But he doesn't start at the back four, he starts at the front three. So that's one good thing happening for him because he is a ball player who loves to play. He is not a good man marking man. You know, he likes to expose himself with a speed, good stick work and all. That's one advantage for India. Use more Sunit. You know, because Sunit is another outstanding player, using more and for that, for defence to be very solid. If they are going up, there will be a lot of space for the opponent too on a counter-attacks. So counter-attacks, India has to be very careful on counters and you want to re-counter it, you need to be very careful. But I want a forward line to come into the game today because they have not come into the game so far. I am not criticizing what I thought like Akash, Dilpe and Mandip. Maybe I think they did do re-tackling everything but that's not the job. Now in the current talk, the job is also re-tackling is good but their job is also strike the goal. So I think these are the key will happen for Netherlands. Netherlands also will have a different idea to come and out to mark Mandip or out to imitate him or out to get him a yellow card. He has to be very careful on the card because I know Mandip is a very aggressive player but aggression has happened many times for India where Mandip was out 5-7 minutes or no. That's going to be very costly for us. I want some of the players like Armin Peeth. We don't have, I am not seeing much of your Amit Royzas. So I think these are key players who will be used in a better way maybe and next is all. But again like you mentioned earlier, in India I have 4-5 key players and you are playing against a team which has 11 key players. I think that could be there with any team also. If you are collectively giving 60-70% my always beg with the players is that please give 70% or players. I wrote in 100%. 70% you give the team is winning. If somebody is giving 50% then I think you are not only doing a league matches level. So I think that's where we stand. Hopefully all the boys give 60 and above person and India should win. So like you said like these small small moments like life hockey is also about incidents. You have to match it in those small small moments as simple as that. And you also brought up this like very interestingly you spoke about Poland in 2000. Your assistant coach of the time is now the coach of India. You think have you seen anything in him now like have you seen like an evolution in the way that he has perhaps learnt from there. Is there anything? Yeah I think so because I think because they finally see whatever he has learnt from where he was there about in the Asian games also. But the players have to do what they want to do. The coach is not going to play. But I think all the years for last because you've been there for last five years juniors, seniors and all those things are as improved as a very seasoned coach. He knows where exactly the players are. He has selected a good side and it's definitely good to see my good friend. First of all he's a good friend of mine and he is into hockey you know like any other coaches in the world. He is breathing hockey I would say because he is always into the you know past games and the past performance, penalty corners, goalkeeper strength. All those things he keeps collecting. I think that's how the coach has to be for India because we don't have to have it because I was not a professional. I was a coach because I was a coach maybe I could coach rather. If I was a professional like Arendra, if I was a professional then I would have definitely done better than. Now I realize if I had a lovely supporting staff in 2000. But at that point the entire culture towards coaching was different in any case. So most of the coaches who come for the national team like you would have your regular departments or take leave from there come at the last maybe a one month camp whatever. And then also Arendra has that luxury to work and understand the team like you mentioned. And so getting into India now and the World Cup. So you mentioned earlier about destination now. So India's destination is pretty clear. Actually it's pretty simple now for India what they have to do. They have to win matches. They have to score. They have to win matches. So and they are most likely to play Netherlands in the quarterfinals. So as a coach and a former player who have been at the IS level you understand what the pressures are going to happen. So what should India do? What does it take for them to now take the next six or eight steps towards the meta? Well I think the very important thing they are doing is that Netherlands is a very solid country like India playing hockey at the IS level. The highest level hockey is played in the world is Netherlands. The league is very of a high order and all the players know collective hockey. You know normally it's collective hockey is the team. So this is where the club teaches them at the club level. So most of the players are well equipped at the Netherlands. Not that India is not well equipped. But what India should do is that not allow them to too many spaces to move on. Because they allowed to move with the spaces Netherlands because they have good stick work. They also have eliminating skills like India. But they have one better advantage is that they are good in striking circle and 23 yards line. Because that's where you get the ball to put there. So they realize 23 itself is a striking D. 23 yards so they don't lose the ball there. So I think that's the strength of the Netherlands team and the German team. But Netherlands team is much more capable of holding the ball much better. So I think Indian forward, Indian plays should start again. Nevertheless to me is that don't defend more. Because it's an awkward state. We have four quarters. It's the advantage for you. It is that what you want was the first 15 minutes. You want to attack, please attack. You don't want to concede. Go and don't concede. It's easy to say from here but it can happen. 15 minutes if you try to lose the ball then you will be having problem in second quarter, third quarter. So 15 minutes first quarter try to dominate. You don't get a goal. No problem. You try to control the ball. Don't allow them to more room to play. Try and close them down. Very close them down quickly. The outletting should be very good. Indian outletting should be very, very good because we have good ball players. Simranjeet, Manpeeth are lovely outlet players. I think we have to use them very good. And this where the Netherlands will have problem of doing that outletting passes stop by Manpeeth or Simranjeet. I think they are two key players for Netherlands. But for India, who are the key players? The entire team is key for Netherlands. So I think we need to, we definitely need to accelerate higher and try to be quicker in the feed. Because this is an awkward stage. We can't say a league match. You know, I can, you know. I know that's a sick, sick language I got. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. There is no verbal talking about it. It's all quick or fast. I mean, the quickness of that day against Netherlands will be the key for me. Because goal scoring both are good, penalty corner both are good, goalkeeper both are good. But the quick fitted passes quickly, how to eliminate quickly and use the width of the game. Very important because Netherlands will use the width of the game because our wing-ups are not playing study hockey. Our wing-ups are more attack good. They are attacked. But our wing-ups will be tested that day. Actually that's true. Like Netherlands really spread very wide. And they slide to play the slip ball on the edges of the goal, on the side. Because that's where the Europe team play now. They play like an, you know, what do you call this? And they play a lot of indoor hockey. I think that's where they get the goals. Tide spaces. Tide spaces. And they go to the end of the game because there's no offside. Yeah. This is where I tell, you know, don't allow them to do anything on 23, 25 yard line. Allow them to play upper on the midfield. So you'll be successful, but never try to miss chances. I want all my forwarding to be there on the goal scoring chart. Don't say that every time we miss chance and I'm sick of it. Don't say after the game is over, miss chances. Oh, yeah. There is no miss in the other countries. Yeah. There is no miss. So actually this idea of like missing chances, like what is it? Is it down to basics? Is it just match pressure? What is it? No, I think, you know, I think it's basically after playing 150 matches, it cannot be basic. Yeah. It's a mental strength, you know. So it is match pressure. So you see a lot of, you know, the top players in the World Cup now. Who are the scorers? The expected boys who are playing the forwarding to score, they only are scoring. Yeah, exactly. Not from the, not from the blue. The people who are supposed to score, they are selected there for the team to score. Yeah. That's the way of the team. Yeah. So we have strikers in the team, so to score, so we have to score. So that's where the Indian team's plus point will come. The minus point will not be there more because it's going to be an awkward match. I think Arendelle will do a lovely warm-up with all the, you know, pressure and minus. I think India, I have a 10% advantage over India because, not, don't go with the crowd. Don't play with the crowd. You lose the ball. You've done it before also. And in the world hockey series, you've done it one day before also. You play, you moved with the crowd in the first two quarters. You played with the crowd. Or you don't play with the crowd. Let them shout. Playing with the crowd is the most dangerous hock in the world. Because you may have support. But you know, don't try to run with the ball. Don't try to, you know, Yeah, don't run with the ball. You're not supposed to run with the ball because they're much faster than you. So I think these are things which have to be noted on the quarterfinals. I mentioned that applies even if India progresses because the sides are going to be... Yeah. We might, if we cross quarterfinals, we might be playing in Australia again. So there is no relenting in as far as intensity is concerned from now on. And Arendha, in his press conferences, I've been talking about that. But you mentioned that India should take initiative in, say, as in go play attacking hockey. And so something like if they do, if a match situation arises in the knockouts, that something like what happened with Belgium, the first half, India was invisible. So if that kind of initiative is given to, given in knockouts, will India be able to make that turn around? Well, listen, it's a good observation. But I personally feel in a knockout, that's a league match. When you could come back on third and fourth quarter against Belgium and get the two goals back, why don't you do that in the first quarter? Why don't you do that in the first quarter? When you have got energy, when you have got energy to do and you've got confidence in the players, why don't you see, my point is that four quarters is very good for any coaches to plan, any players to plan. You know, if you plan the first quarter, what do you want to do? Don't concede goals, try to get attacked. You know, that's very important. The moment you do that, then they'll be under pressure. They'll have to change their options. They have to change, the opponent have to change their plan. So if you don't try to options to the players or the coaches to stop something happening there, then you are at loss. If you have a lovely grip on the nervous team, then you should start attacking. Now mind, first quarter, you don't concede goals. Attack means if you attack, you don't concede goals. There is a formula that you don't play full-press. But you play half-press, snatch the ball, but don't allow them to play full-press. So there are two issues. One is that they may try to play full-press or you have to play full-press. But you don't play full-press, you play 30-press. You try to win the ball more, try to snatch the ball from the defender. I think these are the issues. Small, small issue is going to be a collectively important Indian team. Snatch the ball, release the ball quickly. Passing skills to be very good. You know, don't be an under schoolboy's error. I would say schoolboy's error. It has been happening. Sometimes you do schoolboy's error. That is dangerous. In a quarter-final match, you know, you are not supposed to lose a schoolboy. I think, for example, in AC games, I don't have to hit the pass. You know, that aerial ball passes. You should have gone straight away to the 60 RC aerial pass. You came to your own half. That's a schoolboy's error. So I think these are the issues with 5-6 points. I think, I will definitely know about it. But I think you have to implement with the players. Tell them, give them confidence. You do this. Allow them to play the natural hockey. They will play better. And as far as the team dynamics is concerned, you have observed these boys up close as well. And probably you would have gotten some information while discussing with your friend. What is the dynamics like? Like comparing it to your winning team. When you mentioned that you are a senior player and a lot of youngsters who went on later to do great things for India. So, do India have that kind of leadership presence in the middle as of now? Who can actually take charge and guide team in situation of pressure arises? Because that's what... Actually, it's a doubtful for me to start about we are a dynamic person in the team. But we are only in captain. We can play Manpeer, who is a great player with attacking skills now. He is only playing the natural hockey now. He is not playing what he had about 2 years back. He was not allowed to play this hockey, where Adnan is allowing him to play one. A dynamic team will be like, you know, to come up from the bottom. Number two is that, you know, at every given time, get together quickly. For example, if you are... Now, if you say something is happening badly in first 5 minutes, you try to communicate with the team that, okay, no, you have to wake up. You know, all the things, you know, you can't stop the game and then communicate. That's called dynamic. We need to understand what to do if you are getting one goal lead. Where do you understand? How do you do it? If you are getting, you know, one goal down, how do you restart the game? So, I think these are dynamic things that are happening in the ground. In other games, you can always have a talk. But in this 15-minute court, you've got 2 minutes to go. By the time the players come out and listen to the coach, it will be one and half minutes only. So, what do you do? So, I think these are the situations where in that break, we need to analyze. That is where I want the coach to come in. Because players can't do that. One of the minutes, what first is that? Not to correct them. Not to tell them what next option A, next B. Because in hockey, in most of the game teams, like, you know, the dynamic player in the ground may not be always a great successor. Somebody will start shouting, whether somebody will not like it. Because the generation is changing. You know, in my days, the generation was only shouting. You know, it was mostly played with Punjabi guys. And, you know, they are all hard-eaters, strong players. Hard, very hard. The tackling is very hard. You know, the natural talk is that, Rakdo. You know, stronger. You play stronger. You know, these are the words I mean I came from. And now it's, I think this, not no time, we have to be very strong. All the players are very strong in the right time. Because if we play quite hockey, play soft hockey, I mean, I don't think we will land up somewhere else. You need to be very strong in the ball. Very strong in deleting the players. Very strong in tackling. Very strong in management walking. You know, strong is a very important word again in Netherlands. In Europe, because first you don't get room to play. So, further you have to be very strong. Snatch the ball stronger. Pass the ball stronger. No off. You know what I mean? It's like hitting a dead snake. So, that's all should not happen. These are the things I think I could only advise the players to do that. Thank you. Thank you sir.